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The Office of the Solicitor is hiring a talented attorney to join its Division of Black Lung and Longshore Legal Services (BLLLS) as Counsel for Regulations. BLLLS represents the Department of Labor in matters arising under the Black Lung Benefits Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, and related statutes. The Counsel for Regulations supervises the Division’s regulatory work, provides technical assistance on legislation, and imparts legal advice about the rulemaking process.
Learn more about this agency02/22/2022 to 03/25/2022
$148,484 - $176,300 per year
GS 15
1 vacancy in the following location:
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Not required
No
Permanent - Full Time
Full-time - Permanent
Excepted
15 - This position is at the Full-Performance Level (FPL).
Yes
No
EX-22-SOL-13
638680400
Current excepted service federal employees.
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
This is an Excepted Service position and is open as well to Non-Citizens as allowed by law. This position will be filled through an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive civil service.
The Counsel for Regulations oversees BLLLS’s regulatory and legislative interests. Responsibilities include analyzing issues that need to be addressed through regulation; researching relevant legislative history, case law, and underlying factual and technical data; drafting notices of proposed rulemaking for publication in the Federal Register; analyzing public comments; preparing final regulatory text and preambles for publication; and providing technical assistance to Congress on proposed legislation.
The Counsel for Regulations provides a wide range of legal advice to OWCP. If Congress or a government agency holds hearings about OWCP’s regulations or rulemaking progress, the Counsel may participate. The Counsel also assists OWCP if challenges to its regulations arise. As the supervisor in this area, the Counsel for Regulations will assign, direct, and review the work of any staff attorneys assigned to regulatory projects.
The Counsel is also responsible for the day-to-day supervision of attorneys and support staff. This includes such tasks as monitoring and evaluating employee performance and fostering the professional development of the Division’s attorneys and staff.
The Division seeks a Counsel for Regulations who offers diversity in background and experience, and who will contribute to the Division’s promotion of equity and inclusion for its employees.
DOL seeks to attract and retain a high-performing and diverse workforce in which employees’ differences are respected and valued, also allowing DOL to better meet the varying needs of our clients. DOL fosters an inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility, and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.
For more information on DOL’s and SOL’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, visit: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/sol/careers/diversity-inclusion.
This position is outside the bargaining unit.
Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the “Required Documents” section for additional requirements.
Notification Concerning COVID-19 Vaccinations. As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal executive branch employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to submit documentation of proof of vaccination or to be in the process of requesting an exception to the vaccination requirement before appointment or onboarding with the agency. The agency will provide additional information regarding which forms of documentation can be accepted and how you can request to be considered for a legally required exception from this requirement.
Currently, implementation and enforcement of Executive Order 14043 has been suspended pursuant to an injunction pending further litigation.
To qualify for an attorney position, applicants must possess a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.); be a member in good standing of the bar of a court of general jurisdiction of a state, territory, or possession of the U.S.; and have acquired the amount of experience indicated below for each grade level.
Four (4) years of progressively responsible legal experience of a professional nature which demonstrates the ability to perform the work at the GS-15 level. At least one year of qualifying experience, at this level, must be specialized experience as defined below.
Specialized experience, for this position, is experience consisting of one (1) year as a practicing attorney engaged in preparing and/or analyzing regulations and providing legal advice.
Note: An LL.M may be substituted for a maximum of one year of experience.
Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.
If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.
DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees’ differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.
Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements for this position will be further evaluated against the following evaluation factors. Current and/or past supervisors may be contacted unless specified otherwise. A panel and/or the selecting official or their designee may interview applicants.
Evaluation Factors:
It is the responsibility of the applicant to supply sufficient information to provide a basis for rating each of the evaluation factors listed above.
INFORMATION FOR CTAP/ICTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under CTAP or ICTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. CTAP/ICTAP eligible(s) who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered "well-qualified." Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Question #24 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.
The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means (e.g., interview).
The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you.
-Resumes are required - provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and the number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions, and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
- Bar Certification: Should you be selected for this position, you will be required to submit documentation verifying that you are an active member of the Bar in Good Standing of any State, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any Territorial Court under the U.S. Constitution. This letter and/or certificate should be dated within the last six months of the closing date of this job announcement.
- Transcript(s): Should you be selected for this position, you will be required to submit documentation verifying that you have completed your first professional law degree. Applicants who claim substitution of education for experience with an LL.M must submit a copy of their transcripts for verification.
- Veterans Documents (if applicable): Attorney appointments within the Department of Labor are positions in the excepted service, not the competitive service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference in attorney appointments; however, the Department of Labor considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. In order to receive positive consideration, you must indicate your eligibility, in response to the appropriate item on the vacancy questionnaire. Additionally, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD214 showing the type of discharge and dates of active duty and, if applicable, a VA letter certifying the present existence of the service-connected disability which indicates the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting to be honorably discharged or released within 120 days, click Active Duty) Without this documentation, you will not receive the veteran's consideration. Additional information is available at https://www.fedshirevets.gov
You may also find more information on positive considerations for attorney hiring.
- Displaced Employee Placement Documents: These documents are only required if you are requesting priority consideration under ICTAP/CTAP Eligibility. Applicants with disabilities (SCHEDULE A) applying under the area of consideration must submit proof of certification by counselors, State vocational rehabilitation agencies, or the Veterans Administration.
- Cover Letter(s) are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted.
Applicants selected for employment that are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, or non-citizenship as allowable in Excepted Service hiring through P.L. 112-10, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section.
Follow the steps below to apply. Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Paper applications and supplemental documents submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the vacancy contact will not be considered. Click here for information on Reasonable Accommodations.
SAVE your information before the 30 MINUTE TIMEOUT! For help, go to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/.
STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents
Your resume must provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses in the self-assessment vacancy questions. If not, HR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the competency indicated by resume content. FOR EACH EMPLOYMENT PERIOD, include: start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week); otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.
STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS)
Once you have identified a job on www.usajobs.gov that you wish to apply for, click on the title and click the Apply button . For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Click “Start Application” and proceed through 5 steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. At Step 5, click “Continue to Agency Site”.
STEP 3 – Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL)
On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click “APPLY TO THIS VACANCY”. Continue through the 7 progress steps indicated by circles at the top of the DOL page. The 3rd progress step is where you answer the vacancy specific questions. The 4th progress step "Documents" is where you submit required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the "Required Documents" section of this vacancy. If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission.
STEP 4 – On the “Review and Submit” step, click “Submit Application”
The last “Confirmation” step will turn green noting that your application was submitted successfully.
STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm ET of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, then “Update Application”.
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and refer candidates for selection consideration. Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome. A selection is expected to be made within 30 calendar days from the issuance date of the certificate.
For instructions on how to check the status of your application, go to: USAJOBS Help Guide.
USAJOBS will no longer send status email notifications. You can check your application status in the TAS by logging into USAJOBS and in the Applicant Dashboard, click the hiring agency Talent Acquisition System (TAS). If the TAS does not provide application tracking information, contact the agency point of contact on the job announcement.
The Federal hiring process is setup to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/638680400. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
https://www.dol.gov/general/jobs/vacancy-information#marketing-statement
Interested persons can also obtain information about working at SOL through the SOL Ambassadors Program; visit: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/sol/careers/ambassadors.
